Officer Kidnapped at Knifepoint; Jumps Out of Moving Van to Escape

There was an off-duty Memphis Police Officer kidnapped at knifepoint Sunday morning. The female police officer was approached by a man, and she refused his advances. The suspect then exited his vehicle with a knife, and threatened the officer as he forced her into his van. The officer later jumped from the moving van as it was merging onto the interstate. At this time, the suspect had not been identified or located.

An off-duty Memphis Police Officer reported she was kidnapped by a man who threatened her with a knife early Sunday morning, according to multiple sources.

FOX13 is not identifying the officer, to protect her safety. However, family members at the officer’s home confirmed the officer is the victim Tuesday afternoon.

Memphis Police tell FOX13 they were called to the I-55 North ramp near E.H. Crump Blvd. at about 6:00 Sunday morning. When they arrived, several motorists surrounded the victim.

The victim told police she was kidnapped at the corner of Poplar Ave. and Hollywood Street.

Police say the victim was approached by a man, and she refused his advances. Police say the kidnapper then stepped out of his vehicle with a knife, and “threatened the victim as he forced her into the car.”

The victim told police she jumped from the kidnappers moving vehicle as he merged onto I-55.

The kidnapper was driving a silver van, according to the police report. Police have not named a suspect.

This officer’s warrior spirit saved her life, but had the suspect kidnapped another victim, they may not have been so fortunate.

Many of us are lazy about carrying our gun off-duty; it’s uncomfortable, and distracting. We work to create an environment where people should feel like they don’t need to leave their houses armed, and we may not feel that carrying a weapon is necessary. The truth is that incidents like this can happen to anybody at any time, and there is little you can do against an armed suspect when you are unarmed. A comfortable concealed holster is all you need to make sure that you are protected at all times.